Department Overview

Stanford University's Computer Science Department is part of the School of Engineering. The department offers the degrees Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy. It also participates in the following undergraduate inter-disciplinary programs: Computer Systems Engineering, Symbolic Systems, and Mathematical and Computational Sciences. Founded in 1965, the Department of Computer Science is a center for research and education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Strong research groups exist in areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, foundations of computer science, scientific computing, and systems. Basic work in computer science is the main research goal of these groups, but there is also a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research and on applications that stimulate basic research.

Fields in which interdisciplinary work has been undertaken include chemistry, genetics, linguistics, physics, medicine and various areas of engineering, construction, and manufacturing. Close ties are maintained with researchers with computational interests in other university departments. In addition, both faculty and students commonly work with investigators at nearby research or industrial institutions. The main educational goal is to prepare students for research and teaching careers either in universities or in industry.